Imagine the response of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency if a private company had dumped 1 million gallons of wastewater from an old mine into the Animas River.
No doubt the federal agency would come down like a ton of bricks on the company for dumping contaminants — as it should.
But what happens when it is the federal agency itself that is responsible for the environmental catastrophe that has fouled the river for miles with what looks like a yellow-orange sludge?
The EPA confirmed on Thursday that it triggered the spill while using heavy machinery to investigate pollutants at the Gold King Mine near Silverton.
Meanwhile, other potential disasters are hidden in long-abandoned mines in Colorado’s high country.
This is a danger Colorado will have to deal with for decades or even centuries to come because mining laws in the state were minimal until about 1977, reports the Denver Post’s Jesse Paul and Bruce Finley.
The EPA’s bungle at the Gold King Mine illustrates the large-scale problem. But will anyone be held accountable for this mistake?
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit or check out our for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
